Mario Gutierrez's Kentucky Derby win a boon for Hastings (with video)

VANCOUVER - Mario Gutierrez was, as of Friday night, just another jockey looking for that one big win.

But Gutierrez has gone from relative obscurity – a small fish in a large pond, as the metaphor goes – to an instant celebrity, thanks to a thrilling upset victory aboard Reddam Racing’s I’ll Have Another at the 2012 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.

Gutierrez and I’ll Have Another managed to track down and beat 4-1 favourite Bodemeister by one-and-a-half lengths at the wire, to take the 138th Derby in front of a record crowd of 165,307 spectators.

Both jockey and horse overcame tremendous odds, both at race time – ignored at 15-1 - and in years leading up to May 5, 2012. With the win, Gutierrez has become a trailblazer for his fellow jockeys at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse, where the Derby champ competed and honed his craft from 2006 to 2011.

"I was in British Columbia at Vancouver, where I've been doing all my racing since 2006 pretty much," Gutierrez told NBC Sports, when asked where he watched the Derby last year.

"Like all jockeys, we all dream that one day [we'd be fortunate enough to] be in the Kentucky Derby. At that time I was at Hastings Park and of course I had the dream, but I wasn't thinking it was going to be the next year."

His fellow jockeys at Hastings Racecourse were equally as excited for Gutierrez, although, thanks to the flow of competitive juices, they admitted they wouldn’t mind leaving him in the dust should he ever race at Hastings again.

“Obviously everybody in there is elated because we all know in this sport…maybe one per cent of the riders in North America, or even worldwide, ever gets the opportunity,” said jockey Chad Hoverson.

“To win it, it’s astronomical. To walk in, be in the right place at the right time, find that horse and that type of a situation, it’s astronomical.”

At the age of 25, there is likely still plenty of racing ahead for Gutierrez, who, prior to the Derby, enjoyed a successful six-year tenure at Hastings Racecourse, where he was the top rider in 2007 and 2008, and was among the top three riders in all six years.

For the jockeys at Hastings, there is now living proof that one of them can, even against the slimmest of chances, saddle up and ride in the grandest of racing traditions.

“It’s everybody’s dream, especially the new generation right now,” said jockey Frank Fuentes, who added Gutierrez will still be, for a long time, “on cloud nine.”

“When you have a little bit of talent and…you start moving to the big leagues down south, if you have someone pushing you, giving you a hand, it’s awesome.”

Suddenly horse racing, which in this city rides secondary, perhaps even further back, compared to the Vancouver Canucks, B.C. Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps, has become a major topic of discussion.

Hastings Racecourse, situated on the fairgrounds of the Pacific National Exhibition in the most northeastern corner of the city, with the North Shore Mountains providing a stunning backdrop on a sunny day, such as the case was Sunday, is now world renowned.

Just like that.

“I’m willing to bet there’s more people Googling Hastings Park right now than there has been in the last 50 years,” said Hoverson.

Sunday’s schedule was the typical, live racing all afternoon.

However, the staff at the park is hoping Gutierrez’s win will be a boon for business.

“It really puts us on the map in terms of our race track, really puts us on the map in terms of our jockeys, our horses, just all the people involved,” said Hastings Racecourse general manager Raj Mutti.

“We’re just super excited for him, and super excited for the track as well because it’s a huge opportunity to really promote our sport in B.C. and Vancouver.”

Roughly $10 million in purses are handed out annually at Hastings Racecourse. Compare that to the almost $1.5 million the Derby winner collected Saturday as part of the overall $2 million purse.

As a result of Gutierrez’s win, Mutti said it could raise the profile of Hastings Racecourse to a point where the quality of jockeys, horses and owners increases, which could in turn increase fan support and betting.

The result of that, said Mutti, could be larger purses in the future.

“It will take a little bit of time, but it will have a positive effect on racing as a whole, here,” he said.

“From the betting angle, it really gets more horse players watching for Hastings Racecourse, and the more people that bet on our races, the bigger our purses can become.”

Plans to honour Gutierrez at Hastings Racecourse are now in the developing stages, but it’s likely such an event could take place in the summer.

A specific date has not been announced.

“We’re looking at a Mario bobblehead giveaway, which would be great to really honour Mario and his Kentucky Derby victory,” said Mutti.

“He really wants to recognize all the people that have supported him over the last six years here.”

ctucker@vancouversun.com

Twitter.com/CamTuckerSun

ticrawford@vancouversun.com

With files from Francis Georgian

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